Assignment

Policy Strategy: 

Examples

Strengths

Limitations

Uncertainties 

Recommendations 

Direct Counseling

- Problem Solving Treatments.

-Social and physical activity planning.

-Pleasant event planning (Program Helps Older Adults Manage Depression 2018).

-Clients learn to recognize depressive symptoms.

- Define problems that may contribute to their depression.

- identify and implement steps to solve their problems (Program Helps Older Adults Manage Depression 2018).

-Not being able to afford the program due to the high cost which is $630 per patient. (Program Helps Older Adults Manage Depression 2018)

-Older adults may not be receiving the direct counseling program.

-Still maybe some uncertainties about what steps to take to solve their problems.

-Could be helpful if other family members accompany older adults during the program process. 

- Have participants speak positively about the program to help newcomers to be more comfortable.

Policy Strategy:

Examples

Strengths

Limitations

Uncertainties

Recommendations

Population education

-Caregiver education on depression

-SAMHSA.com

-Speaking with your primary care doctor

-Self-care education

-Client education on depression

-Educating the caregivers of the elderly, can give outsiders resources to look for when taking care of the client. This will help the ability to access treatment if needed. 

-Self-care is a prevention method to stop depression before it starts. It can also pull someone out of depression. 

-Even with the current aids for elderly depression, the rates are still extremely high at “7 million adults aged 65 years and older are affected by depression” (Steinman, 2007). 

-The program can also be somewhat costly, priced at “$3,000 in training and set-up per patient” (Benson, CDC).

-Having access to an in-home caregiver and the environmental changes that affect each person’s situation. In smaller communities, there may not be home health care that comes to the home and can provide help with self-care or doing activities to get clients to their appointments. If that occurs, the caregiver isn’t given the opportunity to get the education on the depression signs and treatment. 

-Finding a cost-efficient education training, like providing this education at elderly wellness visits to the patient and their caregiver, would cut the cost and add the ease of both people being present. The cost would then be covered by the insurance company simply by providing extra information, signs, and easy treatments during these appointments.